Heart and vascular disease often go hand-in-hand with diabetes. Anyone living with diabetes is at a much greater risk for suffering from heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure. Another vascular problem due to diabetes includes poor circulation to the legs and feet. Unfortunately, many of these cardiovascular problems can start early in life and may go undetected and untreated for years, increasing the risk of a major cardiovascular event.

March is National Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Awareness Month. DVT affects as many as 600,000 Americans each year and can be deadly. DVT occurs when a blood clot develops in a vein deep in the body. Deep veins are found within groups of muscles. These are different from the veins close to the skin, which are called superficial veins.

Fortunately John’s wife, Kathy, was home when he suffered a massive heart attack on December 6, 2014 while putting up the Christmas tree. “I felt really clammy,” he says of taking a break to sit down on the couch. That is the last thing he remembers before being transported in the ambulance to Oklahoma Heart Institute. “My wife called 911, performed CPR and brought me back to life.”

Varicose Veins are enlarged, gnarled veins that often appear blue, flesh-colored, or red. They often appear tangled and for some, they are simply a cosmetic concern, while they can cause pain for others. Chances are you probably know someone who has dealt with varicose veins, as more than 40 million Americans have them.

Sclerotherapy is a procedure that effectively treats varicose and spider veins. This treatment is often performed to treat small varicose veins. It involves injecting a solution directly into the vein which causes the vein to scar up and collapse, allowing blood to be rerouted through the healthier veins in the body. The collapsed vein eventually fades within a few weeks, although it may take up to a month to fully fade. Some patients may require several sclerotherapy treatments.